Saabin markkinointistrategiasta + uusi 9-3

Katsotaan, miten käy Saabin
markkinointistrategian kanssa. Ainakin nyt
saatiin ns. official word siitä, että 9-3:n
seuraaja on markkinoilla ensi vuoden syyskuussa.

Saabs new marketing strategy

Saab downplays TV advertising as it lures new
buyers, one at a time
Ninety-nine percent of what we advertise is
waste," says Saab President Peter Augustsson. Who
needs TV? Saab's marketing plan calls for: Brand
Centers at tourist sites Upscale City Center
dealerships Less money for TV commercials More
direct mail, special events With this pithy
remark, Aug- Augustsson signals that the Swedish
automaker has abandoned the auto industry's
traditional - and inefficient - way to find
buyers. After concluding that his television
commercials reached viewers who did not have the
money or inclination to buy a Saab, Augustsson
has slashed his advertising budget. Instead, he
is using that money to fund a niche marketing
strategy called Saab Unlimited. With direct mail,
special events and golf tournament sponsorships,
Saab will seek upscale prospects. Then Saab will
lure those prospects to a newly renovated network
of showrooms and dealerships. This is a strategy
that has become increasingly popular among
upscale automakers such as BMW AG and Audi AG. If
it works, it seems likely that television no
longer will be the dominant advertising medium
for luxury marques. Still, the timing of Saab's
marketing campaign is ironic. The automaker is
moving away from mass advertising at a time when
it is trying to increase sales by 80 percent in
the next three years. But Saab's sales goal still
would leave it within the ranks of niche
automakers. "Even 250,000 vehicles a year is
still a niche volume," says Johannes Curten, who
runs Saab's marketing in Central Europe. "It is
unlikely that we will try to grow beyond that. We
are aiming now at exclusivity."

Saab City Centers
The first evidence of Saab's new approach can be
found on a wide, tree-lined avenue in the chic
Kurfurstendamm district of Berlin, Germany. The
neighborhood is a prime location, heavily
populated by lawyers, doctors and architects.
Nearby are Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen dealers.
At a quieter end of the avenue, Saab has built
the first of a string of downtown dealerships
called Saab City Centers. The dealership's
architecture reflects Saab's essential Swedish
quality. With a tasteful interior of frosted
glass and light wood, it is minimalist, fresh and
bright. A Danish Bang & Olufsen Stereo system
provides hi-fidelity sound. Swedish mineral water
in blue bottles is kept on ice to refresh
visitors. With only 180 square meters of public
area, it has space for only three cars, but even
that is tight. "We prefer to have only two," says
Curten, who is responsible for marketing in
Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands and Luxembourg. "It maintains the
minimalist atmosphere." This dealership is a key
component of Saab Unlimited, which includes four
elements: brand centers, city centers, Saab
Unlimited dealers and Saab certified dealers.
Brand centers will be owned and operated by Saab
headquarters in Sweden. They typically will be in
airports, where they can help Saab create a brand
identity among international travelers. A brand
center will open soon at London's Heathrow
Airport. Others are scheduled to open in Paris,
New York and other tourist destinations. Visitors
will be unable to purchase a vehicle at a brand
center. Instead, they can buy their cars at
Saab's City Centers. These are dealerships in
prime downtown locations that seek professionals
who live and work in the area. Curten says Saab
picked Germany for the launch of its strategy
because of the size of the market and the
strength of the premium segment. "There is a
saying that, if a carmaker can't make it in
Germany, then he will never make it at all," says
Curten. "So far, our performance here has been
dreadful," he says. "Last year we sold only 7,300
cars. By comparison, Volvo sold 42,000."

The dealers
Curten's goal is to increase that figure to
20,000 in the next three years. It is a tough
goal and one that needs restructuring to be
achieved. "The reason for the bad performance is
the dealer network," he says. "We have actually
terminated the entire network and are now
installing a new structure. This process will be
completed by September next year, when we launch
the successor to the 9-3." Previously, Saab's
German dealer network included 145 dealers and
sub-dealers, only 30 of whom were exclusive.
Under the system, Curten will have
only "unlimited" dealers in Germany, which means
exclusive showrooms, service facilities and
workshops. Among the new batch of 150
dealerships, Curten wants to have only 60 to 80
owners, each with two or three outlets. This will
reduce rivalries and price wars among Saab
dealerships. "The current situation leads to a
great deal of inter-brand competition, and that
is damaging," Curten says. Future City Center
locations will be owned and operated jointly by a
group of local dealers, with support from Saab,
which shares costs. The Berlin location cost
$450,000. By year end, two more City Centers will
open in Munich and Hamburg. Curten's benchmarks
for the German market are BMW and Audi, both of
which already have adopted a brand center
approach. Audi opened a Forum two years ago in
Berlin's prime Unter den Linden. Its manager is
Claudia Alexandrow. "The focus for the Forum is
not just about product, but about positioning the
brand and the company," she says. The 1,300
square-meter building is laid out on two floors
like an art gallery. A surprisingly small number
of cars are displayed like sculptures. One is on
a telescopic turntable that moves between the
floors. Another is supported by an elaborate
tubular steel structure. The display theme
changes four times per year. At the moment, the
A4 has center stage. Unlike the Saab City Center,
the Audi Forum does not sell cars and has a wider
target audience. "Everyone is welcome," says
Alexandrow. "We even have a children's play
area."
Audi's Berlin Forum attracts 12,000 visitors per
month, and 1,000 per day on weekends. It also
uses the building for special events, such as big-
screen coverage of the Le Mans 24-hour race.
Along the street Volkswagen has a massive brand
center showcasing all of its brands except for
Audi. Walk a little farther and you will find a
Peugeot display. None of these sell cars,
although dealers are present and customers can
discuss orders. Saab's site is on the other side
of town. "We could have been at Unter den
Linden," says Curten, "but we didn't feel we had
to be. Unter den Linden is the best location, but
this is a very close second." By comparison with
Audi's Forum, the Saab City Center is tiny. With
its location in the professional district, Saab
is more selective and less concerned about
attracting casual visitors. "We are getting 25 to
35 potential customer contacts per day here,"
says Curten. "And these are very high-quality
contacts. People don't come into a place like
this unless they are interested in Saab in the
first place." To carry out Saab's new strategy,
Curten has diverted most of his marketing budget
into the Saab Unlimited program. Now, advertising
accounts for only 30 percent of Saab's marketing
budget, down from 80 percent. The automaker's
remaining ad budget is spent on special events
such as golf tournaments sponsored by Saab. "We
can't compete with the volume manufacturers on TV
advertising," he notes. "If we spend $9 to $13
million on a campaign, we achieve nothing. These
guys are spending upward of $45 million on one
campaign."

Chateaux events
In keeping with its de-emphasis of mass
advertising, Saab is trying to contact potential
customers one by one. In France, for example,
Curten uses phone calls, direct mailings and
special events to reach prospects. The company
identifies prospects with the aid of an extensive
database on possible customers. The automaker has
invited several groups to events at French
chateaux, where they were invited to take test
drives. This niche marketing campaign is getting
results. Sales in France have risen 33 percent.
The typical Saab customer is 35 to 55 years old,
professional and has money. Most Saab buyers are
men, with the exception of the 9-3 Cabrio, which
attracts a large proportion of women. Perhaps
most important is the psychology of the buyer. "A
Saab buyer prefers understatement and does not
like loud demonstrations of wealth," Curten
says. "The originality of Saab design is
important to him. It is different and
distinctive, without being overdone."

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